Kayaking (mis)adventures

Dear Readers,

I love being close to a body of water. If I have my way, I'd work, live, and sleep by the ocean. Alright, so Lake Michigan is not an ocean but for those of you Chicagoans out there, and I've called it many times already, the "beach" ain't that bad! I'd like to indulge myself now in one of my newest hobby - kayaking. Chicago is truly a wonderful town. There's nothing like being out in open water admiring the skyline. But sometimes, things don't go the way you wanted it to happen. I'll tell you some of these instances.

Sometime around the middle of May, when my roommate Craig hasn't left for Boston, we took off on 31st beach and started kayaking north towards the city. It was a beautiful day, albeit kinda cold for the month. But we made a commitment to go and make no excuses. We took off around 2 or 3 pm and launced our kayak and pretty soon, we made our way towards downtown. The lake was a bit choppy but it was bearable. We got past the McCormick and chilled for a bit and talked about life... you know, stuff that guys talk about all the time - quilting, new recipes, fashion, celebrity gossips, etc. We said hello to a couple of boaters that came our way and then we left after about a half hour of R&R. Well, fate seems to be against us that day. The lake got a little more violent and we found out that it took us a little more effort to paddle this time to the direction where we wanted to go. And then, the unexpected happened... Yup! That's right! That's a Chicago Police Boat. They approached very quietly and pulled up right next to us and asked us where we're going. We told them we're trying to get back to the 31st beach but then they warned us that we could get hypothermia if we stayed longer. To make my long story short, they were gonna take us in if we don't get to shore as soon as possible so Craig and I resorted to asking them for a favor. We asked them if they could take us to 31st beach to which they promptly said no to. They then offered to take us north of McCormick since there is a dry dock out there which means that would force us to walk our way back carrying our kayak to our starting location. We swallowed our prides, got on the boat, went north for a bit and then hopped out of the boat and started walking. I should've taken pictures while we were on the boat. But the cold got into us fast. It's probably the longest, and most shameful walk I've ever participated in since people are staring at us and occasionally making remarks such as "Hey, aren't you guys supposed to be on the water and not carrying that with you?" It's embarassing! And the wind picked up too that time which made it incredibly cold in our lower extremities. It was painful but we survived, barely. Oh well, it was fun. And in typical Ross fashion, I thought of a cool picture to summarize our day. Thanks Arrested Development!

Next is when Seth and I took off before he left for Idaho...

The day was just absolutely gorgeous. It took us just a little bit to find a parking spot even if it was really packed by the 31st beach. We paddled a ways away from the beach and took pictures and chilled and then we saw something unexpected... The next picture is not for the faint of heart!

Alright.. so this is not exactly what we saw but, the idea is that we saw a photo shoot literally right by where we launched our kayaks. I wouldn't be surprised if we got into some of the pictures because the cameraman were pointing at our general direction while the shoot was going. It was really a bizarre experience but cool at the same time.

Well folks, another thing happened to me on Saturday but that's a story for another day. Let's just say, we got into trouble again but this time at the expense of the lifeguards! Who could've thought that they could give you such a hassle! Anyway, I had to ask the girl I was with to fake being dizzy so we could dock at the 31st beach which is apparently and unbeknownst to me is illegal for a kayak or a small raft to dock. We got to dock and received a royal treatment, literally. Anyway, it was a ton of fun and I'm always excited for more of these adventures to come.

Stay Rossome,

Giving in to chick flick pressure...

Dear Readers,

So I saw the movie "The Proposal" on Friday night with a date and I would like to say a couple of things about chick flicks...

THEY SCREW UP WITH YOUR HEAD!!!

and... THEY RECYCLE OLD STORY LINES.

Regardless however, this movie, as much as I really not want to say it, was actually pretty good. Yipes! I like the story line albeit borrowed or similar to the movie "How to lose a guy in 10 days" - yes, I saw that one too. It is pretty funny, I love the location they chose, and I think the supporting cast did a really good job. I was surprised when I saw Oscar from the Office in the movie and shockingly, he had a homosexual role too. I wonder if he really is?

Well, it was fun all-in-all. I wouldn't say I finally accepted the fact that chick flicks are a must-see now together with my usual sci-fi fetish. I'm still not sold and probably will never be as long as there's always a hint of sexuality and the theme or plot has been used countless of times. Please don't beat an already dead horse. Be original. I wonder what is out there though that can be made into a movie? Is Hollywood running out of ideas? Maybe so.

I don't have anything against this movie. Watch it if you want. I would love to hear your opinion about it. Have a nice and pleasant day.

Stay Rossome,

Autobots... Roll Out!!!

Ok... So I saw Transformers last night on IMAX in Navy Pier and it did not disappoint. I came in with very high expectations and I came home still musing about the awesomeness of the movie. From start to finish, I was at the edge of my seat and almost salivating to the images of the transformers, and how they transform, right before my eyes. It was so worth my time.

This Decepticon (the bad guys) pictured above - Devastator, has been a childhood favorite of mine. He doesn't look like the cartoon version which looked like this (one on the right, purple) -

but it's good enough. The way he transformed in the movie was ridiculously cool. And in that same notion, everyone transformed so well that you can almost feel that you're right there in front of them as they turned from vehicle to their robot form. The fight scenes were spectacular, hardly any cheesy lines during the fight so it's a full on "blood" bath. The supporting casts were good. And I think the movie plot was amazing.

There were moments in the film that I felt shouldn't be included. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it but it's pretty obvious.

Alright, there is definitely a sequel and I hope this time my favorite Autobot (the good guys), the Dinobots - which are Dino robots, be included. I wish that Michael Bay (the director) had created them to fight the Constructicons because I think that would be pretty cool. I also wish that the Constructicons had more lines in the movie and a little more fight scene. But I guess I can't always get what I want.

This is by far the best movie I've seen this year. Without even thinking, this film is clearly a 10/10. There is a higher frequency of fight scenes and it is quite intense. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

Let's see if Harry can top this! :)

Stay Rossome,

Laptop broken?

I wish I know the deal with my computer. Last night, I went to bed pretty early only to be waken up by my sauna-esque bedroom. I was nearly drenched in the pool of my own sweat when I went out to our living room and cool down for a bit. I decided to turn on my computer, but alas, it won't turn on. I tried to tinker with it for a bit but no luck. I resorted in calling the HP tech and after numerous attempts to get it started, the IT said that I'm gonna have to ship it to them because something is wrong with the Mother Board. Mother what? If only I know how to fix this problem. I have all my teacher files and all my lesson plans, let alone my music. I am annoyed beyond belief. I'm using my sisters little notebook to type this and it's just plain frustrating not to be able to use your own computer. Anyway, I chose the expedited shipment so I could get this back in a week instead of 2. We'll see how it goes. Until then, it has been sort of an uneventful week/weekday, but focusing in the spiritual aspect of life, it definitely wasn't lacking.

Stay Rossome,

Pre-Rossomeness -- a brief summation to the life and times of this crazy asian

Dear Readers,

As a person who appreciates the simple things (and the not so simple things) in life, I decided to start this blog to share my experiences to whoever would take their time in reading it. My hope is that through this blog, people would gain an interest or solidify their affection in the most random things this world can offer. It may be as simple as a cloud formation, or cashew nuts, and it could be as complex as say, bungie jumping, or putting a cellphone in the "off" position. But whatever your passion is or whatever mines is, I will try my best to talk about them based on my own point of view and the impact it had in my train of thought, however enormous or minute that impression may be. I am pretty stoked in elaborating on the things that excites me and I think this will help me a lot to convey who the real "me" to the world and hopefully get to know myself a little better.

"Plan to be surprised" -- That quote from the movie "Dan in Real Life" has become a staple saying in my life these past year. Appropriately, I have found ways each day to see the world or my life finding out what really surprises me. I am very happy to be surrounded with great and influential friends, most of which belongs to my faith, and I am quite content with the direction my life is going. Much thanks and appreciation goes out to a dear friend of mine, Emily, for helping me with this blog with all the designs and lay-out, and for the added motivation and push to launch this blog.

In summary, I really like to go out of my comfort zone and do something I have not done before. I like to meet and get to knowpeople. I like to go to places and take ridiculous amount of pictures. I like to be outside. I like to do random acts of kindness. I like being the nice guy. And most of all, I like to see laughter and smile.

Life is simple. Or it can be if we allow it. Life is also too short for someone who wants to accomplish much. Sometimes we hate the inevitable but the inevitable somehow finds its way in our lives to happen. It is why we are here. It is why experiences that could've been, exists. It is up to us to grab it by the reins and let it sweep us off our feet and gain a new outlook and a new perspective. It is why life is special.

Oh, and I love the Chicago Cubs.. always have, always will!

Surprised?

Stay Rossome,